A walking tour of life, recovery, becoming a betterhuman being, loving friends and family, and dogs.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Love is the killer app

Check out this cutey. I wonder if he'll turn out to be a snarly chihuahua or a nice one? How do you vote? I've been meditating on staying in my heart and then, wham, someone sends me this e-mail. Think it's a coincidence?

A few nights ago I went to the prison here and spoke with a group of convicts, many of whom were doing life, who are running a meeting twice a week. Only one or two people in the Program support the meeting; for the most part, they are on their own, which to me is pretty sad and doesn't speak well for the Fellowship here, but I digress.

Despite some of them facing many more years behind bars, they seemed to have a lot of serenity. One of the things they're doing is learning, with the help of their meeting sponsor, to garden. They've gradually acquired about a football field size plot to grow vegetables, strawberries, and other crops.

The inmates don't consume the bulk of the food--they give it away to needy community members. They spoke with pride about feeding 23 families last year with their produce. I don't think they learned that in prison, I think they learned that through their work in the Fellowship.

When I first got into recovery, I was one tough cookie. It wasn't until I had about three years clean that I decided I'd better work on becoming more loving. I started to try to find ways to break down the walls around my heart. I did some body work, but I think the most effective thing I did was to visualize my heart as bricked in by bricks with crumbling mortar. I actually visualized the walls crumbling, the bricks falling out.

I don't think it helped immediately to a great degree, but I think over the years, my heart has become much more open. Today, I see that open heart as a blessing. There was a great article in Fast Company magazine about five years ago called "Love is the Killer App." I have always remembered this saying and I believe it's true.

For those of you worrying about Meg, I received an e-mail from her this morning. She has a newcomer on her couch and a spring in her step, because one week from today, we'll be meeting in San Antonio for NA World. I can't wait.

About Me

I am a performance poet and writer. In a former life I was probably a gypsy. I am content wherever I am because I have the rooms of the Fellowship. I have 31 years of recovery, had a liver transplant in 2005 and am currently writing a daily meditation book for recovering addicts and alcoholics. I have two German shepherds, a fantastic husband and a great life.